Jewish Studies and Social Work

Rebecca Grabiner, Program Adviser

Program

The Jewish Professional Leadership (JPL) Program is the umbrella for the two dual-degree programs offered through The Graduate School of JTS and Columbia University. Students in the JPL Program participate in an integration seminar which allows them to explore the intersection of their two masters as well as other relevant issues in the Jewish community. Some examples of previous topics covered in the seminar are the Role of the Professional in the Jewish Community, Issues of Diversity in the Jewish Community, and Community Building.

The dual-degree program of The Graduate School of JTS and the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW) prepares students for professional leadership careers in the Jewish community. JPL students are simultaneously admitted to both schools and attend them concurrently. Upon completion of the program, students receive both an MA in Jewish Studies from JTS and an MS in Social Work from Columbia.

Visionary faculty and Jewish communal professionals created this dual-degree program nearly twenty years ago with a goal still important today: providing future Jewish communal professional leaders with the essential knowledge, skills, and experience to meet the challenge of building Jewish community in an increasingly complex world.

At The Graduate School, students take 24 credits toward a master of arts degree in Jewish Studies. In order to fulfill prerequisite requirements, a student may need to take additional Jewish studies and Hebrew courses prior to graduation. An additional 6 credits toward the degree are transferred from CUSSW.

The curriculum at The Graduate School emphasizes an academic approach to Jewish studies. Students study Jewish history, tradition, and culture with JTS’s esteemed faculty. Through elective courses, students can take advantage of the full spectrum of study available at JTS.

At Columbia University School of Social Work, students take a minimum of 45 credits, depending on concentration. Up to an additional 15 credits may be transferred from JTS. Students are required to complete two years of supervised fieldwork, an integral part of the educational experience at CUSSW. It is in these exciting, hands-on settings that the knowledge gained in class truly comes to life.

CUSSW offers concentrations in Social Enterprise Administration, Advanced Generalist Practice and Programming, Policy Practice, and Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice.

Degrees

Master of Arts

Admission Requirements

See The Graduate School admissions page.

Program Requirements

Students are required to take a minimum of 69 credits in total.

At JTS, 24 credits are taken. In addition, 6 credits are transferred from CUSSW. In order to fulfill The Graduate School and program requirements a student may need to take additional Judaica and Hebrew language courses prior to graduation.

At CUSSW, a minimum of 45 credits must be completed depending on the method of concentration. In addition, a maximum of 15 credits may be transferred from JTS. Fieldwork is an integral part of the total educational experience at CUSSW, providing students opportunities to use the theoretical content learned in courses.

Course Requirements

  • 6 credits (two courses) in American Jewish social history;
  • 3 credits (one course) in the analysis of contemporary Jewish issues with traditional Jewish sources;
  • 3 credits (one course) in Jewish history, either in modern Jewish history or medieval Jewish communities and culture;
  • 3 credits (one course) earned in the Israel seminar;
  • 9 credits (three courses) of electives, approved by the adviser.
Additional requirements for graduation

All students in The Graduate School are required to demonstrate a basic level of Judaica competency in addition to the courses they take towards their master's degree. In their first year all students must complete a two-semester course, Classics of the Jewish Tradition, or demonstrate proficiency. Students who have not studied the Hebrew Bible or Talmud with a scholarly approach and who have not yet acquired proficiency in Hebrew at an intermediate level will be required to fulfill these requirements before graduation according to Graduate School procedures. Students in the dual-degree program must also fulfill a liturgy requirement or demonstrate proficiency.

The social work program at CUSSW provides an integrated course of study which offers a combined approach of classroom and field instruction. Depending on their particular interests, students are admitted into one of four different method areas. Depending on the area of concentration, students must complete a minimum of 45 credits.

In order to meet the requirements of any of these method areas, students must take the practice courses in the core sequence, four terms of fieldwork, and the required background courses. Jewish studies and social work students are exempt from taking T660A: Human Behavior and Social Environment and the second-year field-practice core-course requirements.

Methods of concentration

  • Social Enterprise Administration: Emphasizes building knowledge, skills, and values in administering programs
  • Advanced Generalist Practice & Programming: Emphasizes direct practice, community practice, movement from case to cause, and development of innovative and responsive social programs and program resources
  • Policy Practice: Emphasizes policy analysis and advocacy
  • Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice: Emphasizes assessment, intervention, and evaluation within a field of practice

Search the Course Catalog for courses